Author: Sports Radio Service

Barnes 13 point 3rd quarter gets Kings 127-116 win over Jazz at Golden 1

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis (left) gets the throw down on the Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) in first half action at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sun Mar 31, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings defeated the Utah Jazz on Sunday night at Golden One Center 127-116. The Kings were coming off two bad losses to the Dallas Mavericks in search of getting back on track. The Kings and Jazz were set for tip-off at 7 PM PST at Golden One Center on Easter Sunday.

In the first quarter, the Kings gained a quick lead against the Jazz. The Kings outscored the Jazz in the first quarter 27-23. The Jazz offense quickly got everyone involved. The Jazz had seven scorers in the first quarter. On the other hand, the Kings Keegan Murray started hot, scoring 10 points to lead the Kings in the first quarter. The Kings didn’t show a lot of superiority so far in a game played against a largely injured Jazz squad. The Kings would look to take over the game in the second quarter.

In the second quarter, the Kings couldn’t create the separation they wanted. The Kings and Jazz scored 29 points in the second quarter, and the Kings remained up by four points. Collin Sexton led the Jazz in the second quarter, adding nine points. Domantas Sabonis got the offense going for himself in the second quarter, scoring nine points. The Kings would go into halftime with a 56-52 lead. It was an underwhelming half from the Kings, who would look to jump out ahead in the third quarter.

In the third quarter, the Kings went on an offensive terror. The Kings put up a mammoth 39 points in the third quarter to expand the lead with Harrison Barnes contributing 13 points. The Jazz scored 25 points in the third quarter to dig themselves a big hole going into the final quarter.

The Kings would take a 95-77 lead into the final 12 minutes. Keegan Murray and De’Aaron Fox were leading the Kings in scoring through three quarters with 20 points each. Brice Sensabaugh was leading the Jazz with 19 points.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings did what they needed to maintain the advantage and come away with a win. The Kings didn’t blow the Jazz off the court in the fourth as they did in the third. However, the Kings held on and defeated the Jazz 127-106.

The Kings played well in the second half and took care of a team they were expected to beat going into the game. The Kings outscored the Jazz in the final quarter 32-29. The leading scorer for the Kings in victory was Keegan Murray, who scored 25 points. Fox and Barnes had 24 points each. Sensabaugh and Sexton led the way for the Jazz in defeat, scoring 22 points.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the LA Clippers on Tuesday at 7 PM PST inside Golden One Center.

Padres clobber Giants 13-4 split series in San Diego

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Ha Seong Kim (7) of the San Diego Padres is jubilant after crossing the plate after a second inning three run homer against catcher Patrick Bailey (left) and the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park in San Diego on Sun Mar 31, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Petco Park

San Diego, California

San Francisco Giants 4 (2-2)

San Diego Padres 13 (3-3)

Win: Pedro Avila (1-0)

Loss: Daulton Jefferies (0-1)

Time: 2:43

Attendance: 34,499

By Stephen Ruderman

The Padres blew out the Giants 13-4, as the Giants ended up getting a split in their opening series in San Diego.

The Giants lost on Opening Day Thursday by a final of 6-4, but had two strong offensive performances carry them to wins Friday and yesterday. Today, the Giants were looking to win their opening series with Daulton Jefferies being called up to make the start.

Jefferies pitched in a handful of games for the Oakland A’s in 2020, 2021 and 2022, but missed all of last season after having Tommy John Surgery. The Giants then signed Jefferies to a minor league deal over the winter.

Michael King got the start for the Padres, and after Jung-hoo Lee walked to start the game, King set down the next three Giants in order. Jefferies came out for the bottom of the first, and Xander Bogaerts reached on an error by the shortstop, Tyler Fitzgerald, who got the start today. 

Fernando Tatis Jr. came up, and hit a pop up into foul territory on the first base side that first-baseman Wilmer Flores chased, and lunged into the Padres’ dugout to try and catch. Flores was unable to catch the ball, but even worse, he tumbled over the railing of the dugout, and crashed hard. 

Manager Bob Melvin and Senior Director of Athletic Training Dave Groeschner went to the Padres’ dugout to check on Flores. They were able to get Flores up, and got him to walk back onto the field on his own. Flores had a cut on one of the fingers on his right hand, which Groeschner bandaged up, and Flores stayed in the game.

Tatis then hit a ground rule double that bounced up and over the wall in left that put runners on second and third base with nobody out for Jake Cronenworth. Jefferies’ first pitch to Cronenworth was a cutter at the top of the zone for a called strike, but the ball hit off of catcher Patrick Bailey’s mask, and sailed to the Padres’ on-deck circle, which allowed Bogaerts to score the first run of the game, and Tatis to go to third. 

Cronenworth grounded out to Flores at first, but Manny Machado lined a double into the gap in right-center field to score Tatis and make it 2-0 San Diego. Ha-seong Kim reached on an infield single to third, and Jurickson Profar grounded out to first for the second out. Runners were at first and second with two outs for catcher Luis Campusanocame, who came up and hit a three-run opposite-field home run to the jury box out in right to make it 5-0

Wilmer Flores was due to lead off the top of the top of the second, but in addition to the finger on his right hand that was bandaged up, he hit his right shoulder pretty hard as well on his tumble into the Padres’ dugout. Flores left the game with a right shoulder contusion, and he was pinch-hit for by Luis Matos, as the Giants went down quietly in the second.

Jefferies was back out for the bottom of the second, and immediately ran back into trouble. Jackson Merrill and Bogaerts both singled to start the inning. Tatis flew out to center, which advanced Merrill to third, and Cronenworth lined a double to right to knock in Merrill and make it 6-0.

Bogaerts, who advanced to third on Cronenworth’s double, was thrown out at the plate for the second out when Machado reached on a fielder’s choice, but Kim came up and hit a three-run home run to left to blow it open to 9-0.

“I’m happy to get back on the mound,” said Jefferies. “It was a long road, but at the end of the day, I didn’t really do my job. I could feel good all I want [about] getting back here, but when I got here, I wanted to compete and help the team win. I just didn’t do that today.”

The Giants went into the third down 9-0, but the Padres turned a 9-1 game into a 9-6 game yesterday, so in the Giants’ view, there was no reason why the Giants couldn’t make a comeback with seven innings remaining. Lee walked to start the inning, and LaMonte Wade Jr. walked with one out to put runners on second and third for the Giants, but hard-hit fly balls by Matt Chapman and Matos ended up being routine fly outs to end the inning.

Kai-Wei Teng came in for the Giants to make his major league debut in the bottom of the third inning, as became the first-ever Taiwanese-born player to appear in a game with the Giants, and the 17th in Major League Baseball history. However, Teng had a very rough first inning, as the Padres scored three runs off him to make it 12-0.

Michael Conforto, who has been off to a hot start for the Giants, walked to start the fourth, and Thairo Estrada hit a towering two-run home run to the front row of the second deck out in left-center to put the Giants on the board and make it 12-2.

Bailey and Lee drew walks, and were at first and second with one out for Jorge Soler, who hit a popup to shallow left-center that the shortstop, Kim, went out on and was unable to catch. Center-fielder Jackson Merrill, who had also come in on the ball, fielded it, and tried to nab Bailey at third, but the throw sailed away. 

It was originally believed that the bases were going to be loaded with one out, but the umpires called an infield fly on the play. The ball fell in shallow left-center field, but an infield fly is described as “any fair fly ball (not including a line drive or a bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort when first and second or first, second and third base are occupied, before two men are out.” 

Even though Kim was drifting back on the ball, it was in his general vicinity the entire time, which meant he could have caught it with ordinary effort, so the umpires made the correct call. Bob Melvin came out to argue the call, and was quite upset, but there was nothing he could do. The infield fly took the sails out of the Giants’ rally in the fourth, and really, any hope of coming back today. 

Teng pitched through a two-out base-hit in the bottom of the fourth, and pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fifth, so he ended his major league debut on a positive note.

The Giants scored two runs off of Pedro Avila in the top of the seventh. On the pitching side for the Giants, Ryan Walker pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh, and Landed Roupp pitched a scoreless seventh.

Melvin decided to bring Tyler Fitzgerald in from short to pitch the bottom of the eighth, and the Padres scored a run off him to make it 13-4, which would be the final score.

“It was a tough day,” said Melvin. “[It was] a weird game all around,”

Since Avila replaced Michael King at the start of the fifth inning, it is Availa who got the win for the Padres, as starting pitchers have to go five full innings to get the win. Daulton Jefferies of course took the loss for the Giants.

The Giants fall to 2-2, and all they can do is move on and get ready for their three-game series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers that will start tomorrow night. Keaton Winn will be on the mound for the Giants, and first pitch will be at 7:10 p.m.

News and Notes:

  • To clear a roster spot for Jefferies, who was not on the 40-man roster, the Giants designated catcher Joey Bart for assignment.

Bart was the Giants’ first-round pick, and the second overall pick in the 2018 Draft. Bart was originally believed to be the Giants’ catcher of the future, but he struggled when he was called up during the 60-game sprint season of 2020, and even though he was the opening day catcher for the Giants in 2022, he struggled that season as well.

Bart started last season on the Giants’ roster, but he did not make the start on Opening Day, and he ended up spending most of the season in the minors with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats.

Bart will have 10 days to either accept an assignment in the minors, or become a free agent.

  • Wilmer Flores says he is still feeling sore, and will be reevaluated in Los Angeles tomorrow.
  • Blake Snell pitched four innings, gave up three hits and struck out 11 in an extended spring training game against the Giants’ Double-A team in Scottsdale on Friday. 

“I feel good,” said Snell. “[I] just [want to] get more reps, get better and better [and] stronger and stronger. When we get out there, that will be the real tell of where I’m at, and what I need to work on.”

Manager Bob Melvin has not announced the Giants’ probable pitchers past tomorrow night’s game. With Snell expected to make his next start on Wednesday or Thursday, That could feasibly mean that Snell’s next start will come for the Giants against the Dodgers on Wednesday night.

Snell has already been expected to be ready to join the Giants when they host the Padres Friday for the Home Opener at Oracle Park.

A’s get first of the win of the season over Guardians with walk-off walk 4-3

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo courtesy of Oakland Athletics.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

OAKLAND- On a warm Easter Sunday the A’s looked for their first win of the season in the final game of their series against the Guardians.

It’s been a rough start to the season for the A’s as they remain winless in three games against Cleveland heading into this one.

Getting the start for the A’s was Paul Blackburn who was making his first start of the season. Last season he finished with a 4-7 record and 4.43 era in 20 starts.

For the Guardians it was veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco making his season debut on the mound. In 2023 he finished with a 3-8 record and 6.80 era in 20 games started.

After a clean inning from Blackburn the A’s got runners on early as Esteury Ruiz singled and then stole second. JJ Bleday got him home with a triple and Seth Brown would single to get Bleday across home plate making it 2-0.

The A’s extended their lead in the third with Ruiz getting a triple this time and reaching home off a single by Bleday.

Blackburn in this one turned in a truly dominant outing pitching seven innings and giving up no runs while striking out three.

Unfortunately the same could not be said for the A’s relief pitching as Lucas Erceg came in for Blackburn in the eighth inning and gave up a run as Estevan Flores got home off a ground out from Gabriel Arias.

Austin Adams then came in with a runner on first and two outs. José Ramírez then got on thanks to a fielding error by Nick Allen which also got Andrés Giménez home cutting the A’s lead to 3-2. The tying run was then tacked on by Josh Naylor who singled to get Ramírez home.

Adams then hit Will Brennan with a pitch but was able to get out of the inning as he struck out Ramón Laureano.

Oakland would call on Dany Jiménez to close things out and his outing was not much smoother. It was kicked off by walking Bo Naylor walking and then Estevan Florial reaching on a fielders choice. Naylor on the play was also able to reach third on an error by Zack Gelof.

Shea Langeliers though was able to make a huge play picking off Naylor on third and then Arias popped out. The A’s had one more scare as Jiménez attempted to pick off the runner on second but threw it to the outfield meaning there was now runners on second and third. Giménez ended up grounding out though as Jiménez was able to get out of the jam.

The Guardians left in Scott Barlow to close out the ninth but he gave up a walk to Ryan Noda and single to J.D. Davis quickly getting the A’s two base runners. Lawrence Butler then singled juicing the bases with not a single out. Cleveland made a pitching change taking out Barlow and replacing him with Eli Morgan to try and salvage the game.

In response Abraham Toro came in to pinch-hit and drew a walk ending the game on a walk-off walk 4-3.

Jiménez gets credited with the win while Scott Barlow takes the loss for Cleveland.

The top of the lineup today was clicking for Oakland as Ruiz and Bleday combined for four hits with Bleday registering two RBIs.

The A’s avoid the sweep with the win and will look to keep the good times rolling against Boston tomorrow. The announced starters in that one are right-hander Joe Boyle for Oakland and right-hander Tanner Houck for the Red Sox. That game will be at 6:40 p.m. in Oakland.

Barracuda shoot down Wranglers 4-1 win to split weekend series

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Calgary Wranglers forward Adam Klapka (#43) looks for the puck as he positioned himself near San Jose Barracuda goalie (#31) Georgi Romanov during the Barracuda’s 4-1 win at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday MAR 31, 2024. (Calgary Wranglers)

by Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Barracuda had goals from four different goal scorers as they defeated the Calgary Wranglers in 4-1 victory on Sunday afternoon at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

San Jose earned its 21st win as they split the weekend series with the Wranglers and won the season series 5-3. Despite the loss, Calgary has clinched a playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

San Jose (21-32-9-2-53 points) drew first blood with an even strength goal early in the first period. Joe Carrol found Ethan Cardwell inside their own zone. Cardwell skated in along the left wing and beat Wranglers goalie Oscar Dansk for his team-leading 20th goal of the season at the 6:56 mark.

The Barracuda doubled its lead with a four-on-four goal just under five minutes later. Jack Studnicka began a counterattack as he found Danil Gushchin in the neutral zone. Gushchin skated near the left boards before sending a backhand pass down to a trailing Jack Thompson. The recently acquired defenseman’s wrist shot deflected off Yan Kuznetsov’s stick to the far side post and into the back of the net for his first goal in a ‘Cuda uniform and sixth overall of the season at the 11:11 mark.

Calgary (34-24-5-3-76 points) did not manage much offense in the opening period as they only had nine shots on goal compared to San Jose’s 14.

San Jose scored its third unanswered goal of the game at the halfway through the second period. Ethan Frisch sent a long pass out to Danil Gushchin in the neutral zone. Gushchin skated past a Wranglers defender before beating Dansk with a wrist shot through the five-hole for his 16th goal of the season at the 9:48 mark.

That would end the afternoon for Dansk (11-11-3) as head coach Trent Cull he replaced Dansk in the net with Connor Murphy, who made the start on Friday. Dank gave up three goals on 22 shots.

The Wranglers got on the scoreboard early in the third period with an even strength goal. Adam Klapka centered a pass from the left board over to a wide-open Sam Morton who beat ‘Cuda goalie Georgi Romanov with a wrist shot to the right corner for his third goal of the season at the 3:40 mark.

Nathan Todd concluded the scoring with an empty net goal late in the final frame when Jordan Oesterle misplayed the puck along the end boards. Todd collected the puck from behind the net and wrapped around the puck into the net for an unassisted goal, his 18th of the season at the 16:22 mark.

Romanov (8-8-7) finished the game stopping 30 of the 31 shots he faced to earn his eighth victory of the season. Murphy stopped all 10 shots he faced in mop up duty.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-1 on the power play. Calgary went 0-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Gushchin 2) Thompson 3) Romanov.

UP NEXT: San Jose continues its five-game road trip on Wednesday 4/3 as they take on the San Diego Gulls at 7:00pm at Pechanga Arena at San Diego.

Bay FC takes tough loss in inaugural home opener to Houston 3-2

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Bay FC kicked off their first home game in franchise history at Pay Pal Park in San Jose against the Houston Dash on Sat Mar 30, 2024 (Bay FC photo from X)

By William Espy

Bay FC hosted the Houston Dash on Saturday for their inaugural game at PayPal Park. They were looking to bounce back following a heartbreaking loss to the Washington Spirit last week. Earlier this week, the team announced that the game was sold out, a major accomplishment for the NWSL’s newest team.

Alex Loera returned the lineup after missing the last game for internal reasons as well which was great news for the team, though it is worth noting she was the captain for the team’s first game against Angel City FC, but today that honor was given to San Jose native, and former member of the Dash, Joelle Anderson.

Bay FC Starting XI: Proulx, Dydasco, Mengers, Sharples, King, Loera, Castellanos, Anderson, Boade, Camberos, Oshoala

Houston Dash Starting XI: Campbell, Sanchez, Peterson, Ordonez, Andressa, Alozie, Van Zanten, Schmidt, West, Puntigam, Rubensson

It was clear from before the match even started, that Houston was going to bring high offensive pressure given that they were running with a 3-1-4-2 formation with quite a few attackers. If Bay FC was going to win with their 4-3-3 formation, they were going to have to absorb some pressure but overall it was a game where it wasn’t a question of if there was going to be a goal, it was clear it wouldn’t be a 0-0 draw.

Bay was running with the same exact lineup that got them the win in their first-ever game, however, they did have a couple of different faces on the bench, who would make a difference later in the night. It took a little bit for the game to start, as they had to wait for the smoke from the opening ceremonies to clear.

Lysianne Proulx got tested early when she faced a point-blank shot in the first minute by rookie Amanda West but made a big save to keep the game scoreless. That’s been a theme of the games so far, Proulx has had to keep her team in it and that was going to be the same in this outing as well.

Early in the season, manager Albertin Montoya talked about the importance of the possession style of game that Bay is playing and it was prevalent early in the match. Bay FC was sustaining pressure and maintaining possession, whether it was in their defensive third of the pitch, or the offensive third.

It would be difficult for rookie manager Fran Alonso’s side to score if they never had the ball, and that was Bay’s objective right out of the gate. Early in the match, Tess Boade was getting quite a bit of attention from the official but nothing ever came of it.

They would get booked early though, as Asisat Oshoala received a yellow card in the 16th minute after an apparent desperate slide tackle, but upon replay, it was clear that she had just slipped and collided with the opposition unintentionally.

Deyna Castellanos would score the team’s first-ever goal at PayPal Park, getting the sell-out crowd on their feet in the 19th minute. After Scarlett Camberos brought it down the wing, it was crossed in for Oshoala whose shot was blocked and bounced to Castellanos, who scored from near the penalty marker.

It also marked the Venezuelan national’s first career NWSL goal, as she had spent the rest of her professional career with Atletico Madrid in Spain and Manchester City in England.

In the second half, things started off a little slowly. The first high-quality chance of the half came in the 58th minute, as Boade got a one-on-one with the Dash goalkeeper, Jane Campbell. Campbell made the save, and after a scramble in front of the net a second shot would be blocked and the ball would sail out of play.

Proulx would get tested once again in the 61st minute, but she made the necessary plays fairly easily. Montoya would make his first substitution of the night at this point, bringing in Zambian national Racheal Kundanaji who was making her debut not only for Bay FC but in the NWSL in general.

The former Madrid CFF forward came in for Oshoala as Bay was looking to extend their lead. However, in the 66th minute, Diana Ordonez scored an equalizer. After a cross from the other side of the box, Ordonez was able to score a header which brought her team back into the game.

In the 68th minute, Houston made a substitution to bring Havana Solaun into the game for Elin Rubensson which will be important to remember later on. Early in the 79th minute, Houston had a very strong attacking opportunity, Proulx dove out to punch the ball away but it bounced directly to an attacker while the goalkeeper was out of position.

Luckily for Bay, the ball bounced just wide of the goal keeping the game tied at 1. In the 84th minute, Houston appealed to the officials saying that a ball hit a Bay FC’s player’s hand inside the penalty area and after review, a penalty was called for a handball.

Proulx made the initial save, but the ball bounced back in front of the net directly to Ordonez who scored her second of the night. In the 79th minute, Bay FC made a couple more substitutions to attempt to tie the game. Dorian Bailey came in for Anderson and shortly after Princess Marfo came in for Camberos.

Due to the lengthy delays during the second half, there were nine minutes of stoppage time added for Bay to attempt to equalize. In the 93rd minute, Kundanaji scored a debut goal to make it 2-2 with very little time remaining. She cut in and fired a shot from the right side of the box, which gave Campbell almost no chance to make a save for the Dash.

However, seven minutes later Solaun scored a goal to give the Dash the lead and Bay FC lost their home opener 3-2 in heartbreaking fashion, very reminiscent of their loss last game to the Washington Spirit. Although it was a loss, Bay FC easily could’ve won this match based on the numbers and their control of the game while the sell-out crowd certainly went home entertaining after a back-and-forth match.

It certainly stings that they’ve lost out on a point in stoppage time two games in a row though, so closing out games when tied needs to be an area they work on moving forward.

William Espy is a beat writer covering Bay FC at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: Brewers Hoskins inflames Mets in bench emptying jawing; Yanks LeMahieu out for with fractured foot; plus more news

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Milwaukee Brewers Rhys Hoskins yells at the New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil after the two got into it when Hoskins slid hard at second base in the top of the eighth both benches emptied on Fri Mar 29, 2024 at Citi Field in New York (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The sparks were flying as the Milwaukee Brewers Rhys Hoskins drove in four runs but has a history with the New York Mets when he used to play for the Philadelphia Phillies. Hoskins slide hard into the Mets Jeff McNeil and Mets pitcher Yohan Ramirez threw behind Hoskins and the two players started jawing at each other. The Brewers came away with a 7-6 win.

#2 The New York Yankees concerns grew a little more when an MRI showed that DJ LeMahieu he had a fracture in his right foot after fouling a ball off it. There was no structural damage. LeMahieu’s foot will be reimaged but Yankees manager Aaron Boone would not give a timeline when LeMahieu will return.

#3 The Minnesota Twins infielder Royce Lewis was put on the disabled list with severe quad strain and the Twins announced they’ll be without Lewis for a month. Also pitcher Anthony DeScalfani had surgery to repair a flexor tendon. DeScalfani was expected to be back after suffering before they discovered the right flexor strain. DeScalfani is expected to be out for 60 days.

#4 The New York Yankees had pitcher Gerrit Cole is out on the 60 day IL with nerve inflammation and edema in Cole’s right elbow. If Cole got the start this would have been his fifth straight opening day start but the string was broken and the former Cy Young pitcher will be out until the end of May.

#5 Charlie the Oakland A’s took another walloping from the Cleveland Guardians this time 12-3 at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday. The A’s on opening night on Thursday night they got shutout and clobbered 8-0 and on lost 6-4 on Friday night after the A’s JD Davis hit two runs.

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports podcasts Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg: A’s meet with Coliseum Joint Authority Apr 2; City and A’s looking at $97 million 5 year deal for Coliseum extension

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao speaking at the Oakland A’s fan reverse boycott at the Oakland Coliseum on Jun 13, 2023. Thao and the City of Oakland are willing to approve a three year lease extension to the A’s if they are willing to give up their team colors and history plus get an expansion team. Both the A’s brass and the City meet on Apr 2, 2024 to discuss a lease extension. (City of Oakland photo)

Oakland A’s podcast with Augie Mesenburg:

#1 Augie the Oakland A’s brass will be meeting with the Oakland Coliseum Joint Powers Authority on Tue April 2nd to discuss the A’s trying to extend their lease. They met one time before and it’s the A’s hope they can get a deal with the City of Oakland so they can play their final three years at the Coliseum.

#2 Sacramento has been reportedly the number two settling spot for interim for the A’s if an Oakland Coliseum deal can’t be worked out. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg has said he would welcome the A’s and that Sacramento is ready to be a big league city.

#3 The A’s are hoping to make the Coliseum their final stomping grounds the A’s TV contract with NBC Sports California pays a very generous $70 million a season as long as the Athletics play in Oakland. We know that this is their first choice.

#4 The City of Oakland is making a big ask in order to allow the A’s to finish up at the Oakland Coliseum between 2025-27. The want the team colors and all the A’s history and they want an expansion team when the A’s leave two huge asks that most likely won’t be filled.

#5 The A’s best chance for staying in Oakland may rest with Schools over Stadiums a Nevada group who is trying to appeal to get a petition drive going needing some 102,000 signatures to get an initiative on the Nov 2024 ballot in Nevada to stop the public funding for the A’s Tropicana ballpark does that seem the only window that could stop the A’s from leaving Oakland.

Augie Mesenburg is a MLB podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com/Augie is a reporter for KHAI 103.2 FM Honolulu.

Ferreira and Escobar get late scores for Dynamo to edge Earthquakes 2-1

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Jose Earthquakes goaltender William Yarbrough (25) makes a save against the Houston Dynamo at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston on Sat Mar 30, 2024 (photo by the San Jose Earthquakes X account)

By William Espy

The San Jose Earthquakes visited the Houston Dynamo as they looked to build momentum following their first win of the season against the Seattle Sounders. Luchi Gonzalez’s squad rolled out in a 4-3-3 formation, while Dynamo manager Ben Olsen was using a 4-2-3-1. The Dynamo got two key goals that allowed them to get by the Quakes 2-1 at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston.

The Earthquakes got off to a hot start with a first-minute goal, off of a corner Cristian Espinoza crossed it to Bruno Wilson who headed it into the back of the net. It marked Espinoza’s third straight game with a goal contribution, after struggling for offense in the first three games of the new season.

The Quakes have needed him to find his game, and based on the past few weeks it seems he’s been able to do so. For Wilson, it was his first goal in the MLS. The 27-year-old defender had spent the past few seasons with FC Vizela in his native Portugal before moving across the pond this season.

Shortly after the goal, Preston Judd got some attention from the referees following a foul, which would be much more important later in the night, but we’ll get to that. The game had some intensity immediately following the opening goal, Houston desperately tried to find an equalizer while San Jose attempted to extend their lead to two.

Veteran goalkeeper William Yarbrough got tested a few times early, specifically in the 15th minute. Yarbrough is filling in for the injured Daniel who is expected to be out for a significant period of time due to a recent surgery.

The 35-year-old Mexican-born American national was acquired during the winter from the Colorado Rapids, where he had spent the last four seasons. With Daniel out for the foreseeable future, the Earthquakes need consistent strong performances from Yarbrough, which they certainly got tonight.

It was a fairly even game for the first 30 minutes, but the momentum was definitely trending in the Dynamo’s favor. Judd’s name continued to come up, as he was fouling players pretty regularly and eventually it culminated in a red card in the 34th minute.

On a throw in, Judd appeared to elbow Erik Sviatchenko and after the referee took a look at the replay, Judd was thrown out of the game for violent conduct. As a result, the Earthquakes not only had to play with ten men for the rest of the night, but Judd will also be suspended for at least one game automatically, possibly more given the nature of the incident.

His poor discipline ended up being a major turning point in the game, as from that point forward Houston was in control of the game. In the 40th minute, Gonzalez made some adjustments to make up for the fact that they were down a man and he substituted Tanner Beason in for Niko Tsakiris as he looked for a more defensive approach moving forward.

In the 44th minute, the goalscorer Wilson went down in some difficulty in front of San Jose’s goal following an awkward collision but remained in the game. Coco Carrasquilla got called for Houston’s first yellow card of the night, as he collided with Beason in stoppage time.

The Earthquakes would be able to survive with their lead into halftime, but possession and scoring chances were heavily in Dynamo’s favor. On the scoreboard though, it was still 1-0 with the Earthquakes ahead.

Gonzalez made a couple more substitutions to start the second half, Carlos Gruezo came in for Alfredo Morales and Carlos Akapo took Paul Marie’s spot. The next 45 minutes were clearly going to be dominated by the Dynamo, but it was all about survival for the Earthquakes.

If they could handle the pressure and keep the ball out of the net, they’d walk away with three points. If not, things could quickly fall apart. In the 55th minute, Vitor Costa went down with an apparent ankle injury and was replaced by Jamar Ricketts who was making his MLS debut. Ricketts was the 13th overall pick in the 2024 MLS Superdraft out of California State University, Northridge.

Desperation was clearly setting in for Houston around the 65th minute, and they started going with an even more attacking mindset. Benjamin Kikanovic went down with an apparent head injury around the 70th minute, and he left the game for a while, leaving the Earthquakes with only nine players temporarily.

He returned to the game for a few minutes before eventually being substituted out in favor of Jeremy Ebobisse in the 78th minute. Around the same time Akapo received a yellow card for poor sportsmanship. After a lengthy attack, the Dynamo scored an equalizer when Sebastian Ferreira was able to beat Yarbrough with a shot that deflected off of a defender in front.

It wouldn’t take long for Houston to take the lead after that, as in the 85th minute Franco Escobar made it 2-1 off of a rebound. The Earthquakes played well despite the result, they made the best of a bad situation and if they weren’t down a man for a majority of the game, they likely could’ve walked away with three points.

Instead, their terrible start to the season continues. In stoppage time, San Jose would get a second red card, as Jackson Yueill picked up a second yellow card, his first coming in the 87th minute, leaving them with nine players for the remainder of the match. When all was said and done, the Dynamo walked away with a 2-1 win.

Hicks solid in first start, and Giants explode late to win 9-1 slugfest over Padres

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Petco Park

San Diego, California

San Francisco Giants 9 (2-1)

San Diego Padres 1 (2-3)

Win: Jordan Hicks (1-0)

Loss: Dylan Cease (0-1)

Time: 3:04

Attendance: 37,104

By Stephen Ruderman

Jordan Hicks pitched five solid innings in his first start as a Giant, as the Giants exploded for six runs in the eighth inning to blow the game open, and the Padres scored five in the bottom of the ninth to turn it into a slugfest, but the Giants held on to win a wild one 9-6.

The Giants won their first game of the season last night behind a strong start by Kyle Harrison, and a big night by Matt Chapman. Tonight, the Giants looked to get over .500 for the first time this season, as they sent Jordan Hicks to the mound for his first start as a Giant.

The Giants signed Hicks, a right-handed flame-throwing reliever, over the off-season to convert him into a starter. Hicks had a 2.65 ERA over five starts in Spring Training, and he accumulated 28 strikeouts over 17 innings pitched. Hicks ended his spring with five no-hit innings against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum Monday night.

Opposing Hicks was Dylan Cease, who was traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Padres during the spring.

With rain in the San Diego area, there was a question of whether this game would start on time, or even be played at all, but the rain moved out in the afternoon, thus the game was able to start on time, and both pitchers threw 1-2-3 innings in the first.

Matt Chapman struck out on a foul tip to start the top of the second, but Wilmer Flores walked, and Michael Conforto doubled Flores to third base. Thairo Estrada came up, and hit a sacrifice fly to center field to put the Giants on the board first. Tom Murphy, the Giants’ new backup catcher, who got the start today, lined a double to the wall in left to score Conforto and make it 2-0.

Hicks retired the first two men he faced in the bottom of the second, but he hit Jurickson Profar, and walked Tyler Wade. Hicks then fell behind 3-1 to Jackson Merrill, and was a ball away from loading the bases, but Hicks came back to strike out Merrill to end the inning.

Both teams went down 1-2-3 in the third, and Cease threw a 1-2-3 top of the fourth.

Hicks ran into trouble again in the bottom of the fourth. Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado singled to start the inning, and put runners at first and second with nobody out. Ha-seong Kim popped out to first on an infield fly, but Profar singled to right to load the bases with one out.

However, just like in the second inning, Hicks was able to settle down and escape trouble in the fourth, as he struck out Tyler Wade, and he got Merrill to line out to short to end the inning unscathed.

Hicks’ escape from trouble in the bottom of the fourth gave the Giants a shot in the arm going into the fifth. Murphy walked with one out, and Nick Ahmed reached on an error by Fernando Tatis Jr. out in right, which put runners at second and third for the Giants with one away. That brought up Jung-hoo Lee, who hit a sac fly to right to score Murphy, and that extended the Giants’ lead to 3-0.

Hicks then came back out, and threw a 1-2-3 shutdown bottom of the fifth. That would do it for Hicks, who gave up just three hits, and struck out six over five shutout innings.

The Padres got a brief reprieve, as Jhony Brito, who came in for Brito after Lee’s sac fly in the top of the fifth, threw a 1-2-3 top of the sixth. The lefty, Taylor Rogers, came in for the Giants in the bottom of the sixth, and surrendered a leadoff single to Cronenworth. Machado struck out swinging for the first out, and Kim popped out to first for the second out. However, Profar pulled a ball past Chapman at third, and down the left field line for a double to score Cronenworth, and put the Padres on the board to make it 3-1.

Brito and Rogers each threw 1-2-3 innings in the seventh, and Tom Cosgrove came in for Brito in the eighth. Ahmed was called out on striked, but Lee pulled a sweeper on the inside corner from Cosgrove, and hit his first big league home run to right to make it 4-1.

“We love watching him hit,” said Conforto. “Everybody is watching when he’s up there. Just his discipline, his eye at the plate, his ability to stay on pitches, stay through the middle of the field, and then obviously we saw a little bit of power, [and he has] a lot of power if he gets the right pitch. He’s been awesome. We’re just going to keep putting him at the top of the lineup, and let him set the tone for us.”

“It’s not about how I get evaluated, but back in the KBO, I had a lot of doubles and triples,” said Lee through his interpreter, Justin Han. “I’m putting the bat to the ball, and that’s what I’m thinking about now.”

The Giants were back up by three at 4-1, but they were not done. Jorge Soler reached on an infield hit to third; Austin Slater pinch-hit for LaMonte Wade Jr. and walked; and Chapman lined a single to left to load the bases. Flores then lined a base-hit to left to keep the line moving, as everyone moved up, and Soler scored to make it 5-1.

With the bases still loaded with one out, Michael Conforo came up, and hit a grand slam to right for his second home run of the year, and that blew the Giants’ lead wide open to 9-1. The Giants ended up scoring six runs in the top of the eighth.

“It was a cool at-bat to have with [the] bases loaded against that guy, he’s a good lefty,” said Conforto. “To battle and fight and kind of change my approach by the end of it, that felt really good.”

Conforto also discussed making a two-strike adjustment, something that has not been seen much in Baseball during the Three True Outcomes Era over the last six-to-eight years.

“[With two strikes], it’s time to fight and see it deep and shorten up the swing a little bit,” Conforto continued. “Kind of knew in the back of my mind at some point he would come back to the sinker and that ninth pitch he came back to it and I put a much better swing on it.”

Enyel De Los Santos came in for Cosgrove following Conforto’s grand slam, and gave up singles to Estrada and Ahmed, but escaped the inning without any further damage. Erik Miller, who threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth in his major league debut in the opener Thursday, came in and pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth.

The Giants went down 1-2-3 against Stephen Kolek in the top of the ninth, and Miller was back out for the Giants in the bottom of the ninth. Profar walked to start the inning, and Eguy Rosario hit a home run to left to make it 9-3. Jackson Merrill walked, and even though the Giants were up by six runs, the Padres’ offense was very much capable of making a big comeback, and Miller needed to bear down, which he did by striking out Kyle Higashioka.

Bob Melvin opted to bring in his closer, Camilo Doval, who had been warming up in the top of the ninth inning last night for a potential save situation, but after Matt Chapman hit his two-run bomb to give the Giants a five-run lead, Melvin went to Ryan Walker instead. Today, Doval was brought in to get some work, as he had yet to pitch in the Regular Season, but also out of respect for a powerful Padres offense.

Doval has been dominant as the Giants’ closers over the last two seasons, but he got off to rocky starts in each of the last two seasons. This season would be no different, as this game was about to get a lot more interesting. Doval walked Jose Azocar to put runners at first and second with one out; and then Graham Pauley came up, and hit a three-run home run to right to make it 9-6, as this game had suddenly turned into a slugfest

Once again, Doval had a rocky start to a season, but he settled down, as he got Cronenworth to ground out to second, and Manny Machado to ground out to third to end the game. What was a blowout turned into a very interesting game thanks to a five-run bottom of the ninth for the Padres, but the Giants ended up winning it 9-6.

In a big break from the majority of the last two seasons, the Giants’ offense has started out on fire. They are coming through in key RBI situations, and getting the big hits when needed.

The optimism within the Giants’ clubhouse during Spring Training has followed the team into the Regular Season.

“I feel like everything’s coming together at the right time, right at the beginning of the season,” said Conforto.

Through this wild game, Jordan Hicks got the win in the first start of his reliever-to-starter experiment, which has started out quite successfully, and Dylan Cease took the loss for the Padres

With this win, the Giants improve to 2-1, and are over .500 for the first time this season. The Giants can take the opening series with a win tomorrow afternoon. Even though there is more rain in the forecast for San Diego tomorrow morning, it will clear out well in time for the scheduled 1:10 first pitch.

News and Notes:

Daulton Jefferies will be called up to make the start tomorrow. The Giants signed Jefferies to a minor league deal over the off-season, and in five games and one start during Spring Training, he posted a 2.57 ERA over five innings.

Jefferies is not currently a member of the 40-man Roster, so a flurry of roster moves would be expected to be made tomorrow morning.

Camilo Doval once again has had a rocky start to a season. Like last year, Doval struggled with the Pitch Clock, as he had two pitch clock violations in his outing today. Bob Melvin said that he will have a talk with Doval about it.

Jung-hoo Lee expressed his gratitude for his fellow countryman, Ha-seong Kim. Lee said he believed that he would not have received his contract with the Giants if it was not for Kim. Lee also expressed hope that this will help bring more players from South Korea into Major League Baseball.

Oakland A’s Fall To 0-3 After 12-3 Loss To Cleveland Guardians

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Oakland A’s Zack Gelof runs the bases against the Cleveland Guardians at the Oakland Coliseum in the third of the current four game series on Sat Mar 30, 2024 (Oakland A’s X photo)

Saturday, March 30th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

Oakland, CA – The Oakland A’s host the Cleveland Guardians in the third game of this opening series of the season. Oakland have started 0-2 to start the seasons and have started 0-2 for the third time in the last four years. After last night’s win, Guardians first year manager Stephen Vogt became the 5th skipper in Cleveland franchise history to begin his first season at the helm with a 2-0 record. On the mound for Oakland is JP Sears and for Cleveland it’s Tanner Bibee. 

The A’s who are looking for their first win for 2024 lost their third game of this four game series to the Guardians on Saturday 12-3 at the Oakland Coliseum.

Kyle McCann at catcher is making his MLB debut for the A’s and putting down the signs. Sears had a scare when Jose Ramirez hit a ball that looked like it was going to be a homer, but JJ Bleday snatched it at the centerfield wall. 

Guardians were the first on the board in the second inning after Sears walked Tyler Freeman. Freeman’s walk set the tone, because it was followed up by an RBI triple from Andres Gimenez, 1-0 Cleveland. The triple was capitalized on when Gabriel Arias hit an infield single that scored Gimenez, 2-0 Cleveland, and the Guardians had a two run lead early. 

The A’s were able to tie it up in the second. With the bases loaded, a fielder’s choice scored JD Davis, who got on base with a single, 2-1 Guardians still up. McCann, who in his debut Major League at bat was walked, scored thanks to a Ryan Noda single, but Nick Allen was thrown out at third and the inning was over with the score tied at 2-2. 

In the third, the A’s took the lead after a single and two walks loaded the bases and McCann was at the plate. His second MLB at bat was another walk that scored Zack Gelof, 3-2 Oakland. 

Cleveland wasn’t going to let Oakland hold a lead for long. After Gimenez was hit by a pitch, an Arias single ran in a run to tie up the game. Arias then scored off an Austin Hedges sac fly, now 4-3 Guardians. It would be 5-3 for Cleveland when Steven Kwan hit an RBI single scoring Brayan Rocchio. 

Cleveland extended their lead by 2 runs. One scored on an error where Arias was safe at first, but then Arias would score from a Hedges double, 7-3 Guardians in the 5th inning. The rally would continue as 2 more runs would come in for Cleveland, 9-3 and the A’s needed some type of comeback. With only 5,425 fans in the Colliseum, it wasn’t like there was much energy in the park. 

Steven Kwan got his first homerun this season with a 2 out bomb in the 7th inning, 10-3 Guarduans and some fans started heading to the parking lot. 2 more runs for the Guardians in the 9th and after the A’s were shut down in the ninth, the ballgame was over. 12-3 Guardians.

Next game for the A’s is Easter Sunday, March 31st in the final game of this Cleveland series. On the mound for Oakland is Paul Blackburn and for the Guardians Carlos Carrasco. A’s 0-3 to start the season.